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| - I visited Raccoon Creek State Park for a day hike this past Sat. with CM. Given that I'd never visited this park before and that I'd heard good things about its offerings, I was eager to check it out. The pleasant spring weather in Pittsburgh spurred us to pay a visit, since this type of weather is very transient, and you have to get out and enjoy it while you can.
Upon arriving at the park, we parked by the welcome center, which unfortunately isn't open during the weekends at this time of year, but which did offer well-maintained bathrooms. Upon picking up and perusing a trail map at the trailhead, we decided to cross Rt. 18 and hike along the Lake Trail, which circles around the lake. I expected this to be a fairly easy and brief hike, but it ended up taking longer than expected due to a couple of reasons. The first is that, at the time of our visit, the trail was flooded in several of the lower areas along the shore of the lake. This meant that we had to either navigate them like an obstacle course with rocks and branches, or bushwhack our way around them. The second is that the map was rather deceitful concerning the dam area--the dam can't be crossed, and must be navigated around using either the Forest Trail (where the bridge was out, due to flooding!) or the road.
One thing to know is that, aside from the lake beach area, which we reached towards the end of our hike, there aren't really any places along this trail that afford a good spot to enjoy a picnic. There also aren't any bathrooms aside from the ones at the welcome center and the lake beach, and one or two port-a-potties near the far end of the lake. Along the lake shore, the path is pretty flat, but it does curve up on the hillside for a couple of miles, making for some ups and downs. Overall, however, if the path hadn't been flooded, it would have offered the relaxing, low-key hike I was seeking.
Despite the flooding and the unexpected extra length of the path, CM and I had an enjoyable hike. Towards the end, as we became weary and didn't want to risk getting our feet wet (again!), we opted to take the road, rather than risk encountering more flooded areas along another trail skirting the lake. While I'd recommend Raccoon Creek State Park as a great place for a day hike, I'd advise being mindful of recent rainfall to avoid encountering flooded paths, like we did. 3.5 stars.
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